Display-rack.



R. OTOOLE.

DISPLAY RACK. APPLICATION FILED our. 19. I915.

Patented Jan. 16, 19.17.

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sr TEsP TENTo :oIsrnAY-ancz Specification of Letters Patent. Patented an. 16, 191?.

Application filed October 19, 1915. Serial No. 56,807. I

the display 'of shoes and the rack is designed with a view to making it attachable to the shelves without disturbmg the normal arrangement of the shoe boxes thereon.

I have found that a display rack of this character will be of especial'advantage in the retailing of shoes due to the fact that a customer can be served very much more readily and quickly if the various styles of shoes in the shelves can be conveniently dis,- played, thus .enabling the customer vto quickly select the pattern or style desired. It will also take advantage of thefvaluable display space along the walls'which is now wholly unused,v due to the fact that shoe boxes are not designed or'adapted to display their'contents. I also" consider that by designing the racks for attachment tov the shelves without interferring with the shoe box arrangement thereon I will produce a more serviceable and satisfactory method of attachment.

A further object of my-invention is to so design the shelf engaging member of the rack that it will be braced laterally by the boxes on each side of it both above and below the shelf to which/ it is applied and held by them against swinging laterally or rockingsufliciently to permit the'shoe to "fall therefrom.

A further object of the invention is to adapt the shelf engaging member of the rack not only to clamp the shelf but to take advantage of the weight of the shoe to 'in' crease the clamping action and thus make the rack steadier the. thereon.

greater the weight A further object of my invention relates to the novel method of forming the display rack from a bent wire and shaping it to form-a very desirable display holder for a shoe or other article.

My invention further comprises the novel letters, and, being disposed vertically,

details of construction and arrangements of parts which are hereinafter more particularly described, and which in their preferred embodiment only are illustrated in the accompanyin drawings, and in which Figure 1 illu rates a display rack in. a side perspective view attached to a shelf. Flg. 2 is a front perspective view of Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the form illustrated the display rack comprises a shelf engaging clamp portion formed of bent wire having a vertical loop 1 from which the wire strand leads forwardly to form the top member 2 of the clamp. The wire is then bent down at 3 and back at right angles rearwardly under .the member 2 to form the. bottom member 4 of a bend which opens inwardly to re,-

ceive and clamp the shelf 9. The top member '2 is bent downto form'with the member 4 a spring shelf clamp. At the rear end of member 4 the wire is bent down. at right angles to'form a vertical leg 5 and then forwardly to form a member 6 which extends along under member 4 to its outer end and its rack forming end '7v is then bent at an acute angle downwardly and twisted in the manner.hereinafterdescribed to form the display rackkproper. The. members 4, 5 and 6 form a bottom bend which opens outwardly." Alink 8connects the forward ends of the members 4 and 6 and holds them togetherto apply the downward pressure from the weight of the shot: on the outer ends of both clamp menibers 2 and 4. All

when forced over the shelf 9 the members 1, 2, 4 and 6 will form bends generally conformmg in shapeto a wide straight line they will fitbetween the shoe boxes 10 both above and below the shelf without abnormally spacing or disarranging them and will be braced by them so as to prevent the lateral swingingor twisting of the rack. I

The display portion of the rack is peculi'arly'designed for shoes and is formed preferably in the following manner :--The wire 7 is bent upwardly to one side to form an arm 11 that is bent back on itself and then crosswise to form a horizontal instep support 12 and is then bent up and back llo on itself and downwardly at 13 until it joins the base of the arm 11, where the wlre zontally crosswise to formvthe sole support 16 and then upand back at 17 and finally leads at an angle to form the leg 18 and has its end twisted around the member 14 at the point 19. The vertical bends in the members 11 and 13 form upright stops 20 and 21 at each end of the instep support 12 and the bends 15 and 17 form upright stops at each end of the support 16 for the sole. .The instep support 12 is raised sufiiciently above member 7 to hold the heel of the shoe clear thereof when the sole of the shoe rests on the cross support 16. The members 11 and 13 are disposed angularly to each other and are tied together at the-apex of the angle and the members 143' and 18 are similarly inclined and tied together. I thus obtain in simple form a very strong and effective display rack for shoes which will prevent the easy dislodgment of the shoe therefrom and which will hold it most conveniently and firmly for display purposes.

In operation,.the clamp end of the rack has its upper bend forced over the shelf between the vertical rows of boxes, the members 2 and 4 receivin and clamping the shelf between them. W en the shoe 1s placed on the rack its weight on the outer end of the rack will act through the loop 8 as a fulcrum to prize the rear end of the clamp member 4 upwardly against the bottom of the shelf and to apply 'a downward pull to the top clamp member 2 so that both clamp members are drawn more tightly against the shelf and increase the firmness of the attachment thereto of the rack. .It willbe noted that the shoe boxes on each side by engaging the loop members 1 and 6, will not only hold the rack against swinging horizontally but also against a tendency to turn on a horizontal axis through the center of the clamp- Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is a 1. A display rack comprising a frame for supporting the article to be displayed, and a Vertically disposed shelf engaging clamp connected to said frame and formed of wire bent in loops, all of which lie in the same vertical plane and at least one of which loops projects substantially out of the plane of the shelf to bere'ceived between and lateri ally braced by merchandise on the shelving.

2. A shoe display rack formed of bent wire and comprising a shoe supporting portion and a shelf engaging portion, the shoe supporting portion comprising means to en-.

gage and support a shoe for display, and

said shelf engaging portion comprising a U-bend in the wire adapted to clamp over the outer edge of the shelf, the inner end of the under member of the bend being bent back in the plane of the U-bend and connected at its outer end to the display frame and means to support said bent back member from the outer end of the U-bend which-engages the shelf.

3. A shoe display rack formed of bent wire and comprising a shoe supporting portion and a shelf engaging portion, the shoe supporting portion comprlsing horizontal heel and sole supporting members having end stops to prevent the lateral displacement of the shoe, and said shelf engaging portion comprisin wire bent like a wide letter S with its olds lying in a vertical plane at right angles to the shelf and with its top member adapted to engage the top face of the shelf and its bottom bend ada ted to engage the bottom face of the shel the outer ends of the horizontal members of said bottom bend being connected together.

4. A-shoe display .rack formed of bent wire and comprising a display frame, and a shelf engaging clamp, said clamp being S- shaped in side elevation and adapted between the inner ends of its top and middle members to receive and clamp a shelf and having a link connecting the outer ends of its middle and bottom members, substantially as described.

5. A shoe display rack comprising a shoe supporting frame formed of bent wire and having integral therewith a shelf engaging member, said member bein formed b bending the wire to form a su stantial -shape with its horizontal members elongated and lying substantially parallel and in the same vertical plane when in use, and means to support the outer end of the bottom member from the shelf, when the latter is in position between the two upper members. 7

6. A shoe display rack formed of bent I wire and comprising a shelf engaging member formed by making a reverse bend in the wire in the same plane to form an inwardly opening top bend and an outwardly opening bottom bend, a link connection joining the wire at the outer end of the outwardly opening bottom bend, anupturned loop formed at the inner end of the top member of the inwardly opening top bend and lying in a plane therewith, said shelf engaging member being adapted to project substantially bend, the inner end of the inwardly opening bend being contracted to clamp over the and sole supports which are disposed horishelf, a link connection joining the wire at zontally when the shelf engaging portion is 10 the outer end of the outwardly opening bend, vertically disposed. an upturned loop formed at the inner end In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

of the top member of the inwardly opening 100 and lying in a vertical plane therewith, ROBERT .OTOOLE an a, shoe supporting frame formed by Witness: bending portions of the wire to form instep NoMIE WELsH. 

